On dead bark and wood of (1) Alectryon excelsus, Wellington, Upper Pohangina River, Jan 1955, G. H. Cunningham, 24433; (2) Rhopalostylis sapida, Auckland, Piha, Sep 1954, J. M. Dingley, 24432; (3) R. sapida, Huia, Jan 1966, R.F.R. McN., 24835.

Fructifications arid-waxy, resupinate, thin, effused, indeterminate. forming irregular areas to 12 cm in longest dimension, pruinose, greyish hyaline, cream, beige, or pallid tan when fresh, drying tan to light brown: margins concolorous, adnate. In section to 100 µm thick, consisting of basal layer and hymenium. Basal layer thin, composed of compact, interwoven, indistinct, agglutinated hyphae lying parallel with substratum. Hymenium composed of dikaryophyses, gloeocystidia and basidia; dikaryophyses simple or irregularly branched apically, 1-2.5 µm diam., becoming indistinct; gloeocystidia abundant, cylindrical to subclavate, occasionally irregular, arising from basal hyphae or base or fertile hyphae, at first hyaline, contents becoming yellow to brownish, granular, 17-40-(54) x 4.5-9.3 µm, probasidia obovate to pyriform, with basal clamp connections, formed in groups on erect, fertile hyphae, 12-20.5 x 8.5-11.8 µm, becoming 2-celled by longitudinal septa or longitudinally cruciate-septate; sterigmata subulate, to 20 x 2-3 µm; old basidia collapsing, forming an involucre around axis of fertile hyphae in thick fructifications, sheathing probasidia in thinner fructifications. Basidiospores oblong to broadly elliptical, often flattened on one side, hyaline, apiculate, 8-12.5 x 5.2-7.6 µm. Germination by repetition.

Angiosperm and gymnosperm bark and wood.

Wells. Lloydia 20: 55, f. 8. 1957; Luck-Alien, Can. J. Bot. 41: 1042, f. 36A-46. 1963.

Sebacina cinerea may be distinguished by the conspicuous, cylindrical to subclavate gloeocystidia, and obovate to pyriform basidia with subulate sterigmata. In older and thicker fructifications, the tendency for collapsed basidia to form an involucre around the fertile ascending hyphae is a characteristic feature.

Trento, Italy.

Basidiocarps waxy to coriaceous-waxy, effused, adnate, grayish hyaline; upon drying forming a thin, cinerous to ochraceous-gray layer, surface porous-reticulate to continuous, often pruinose ; in section 25-200 µm, consisting of a narrow, prostrate hyphal layer composed of thin-walled, often indistinct hyphae, 2-3.5 µm in diam, and an ascending layer of gloeocystidia and fertile hyphae ; in some specimens 2 or more growth strata present, each composed of prostrate and ascending layers; gloeocystidia abundant, hyaline, becoming yellow-granular and flexuous, often retaining an apical staining dome, subcylindrical or subfusiform, sometimes with a knoblike base, (15-)20-45(-100) x (3-)5.5-10(-13) µm; dikaryophyses very sparse, simple to little branched, arising from the fertile hyphae, rarely extending beyond the developing basidia, 1-2 µm in diam; fertile hyphae tortuous, 1.5-4 µm in diam, bearing basidia in clusters at the apex, in thicker specimens collapsed basidia forming an involucrelike sheath along the axis; hypobasidia ovate to obovate, less often subglobose, guttulate, usually with 4 segments, with obscure basal clamp connections, (12-)14-18(-20) x (9-)10-15(-16) µm; epibasidia present or absent, cylindrical, tapering gradually apically into subulate sterigmata, 2-4 µm in diam at base, up to 15(-25) µm in length; basidiospores oblong, broadly elliptical, broadly ovate and adaxially depressed, to subglobose, guttulate, (8-)10-12(-13) x (5.5-)6.5-9 µm, capable of germinating by repetition.

Known from North and South America, Europe, U.S.S.R., Society Islands, Marshall Islands, New Zealand.

On decaying angiosperm and coniferous wood.

Type locality.-Trento, Italy.